An example of footwear of this type is shown by the applicant's EP 0 298 360 B1, an outer material of the upper being lined with a lining material of the upper having a waterproof functional layer. The outer material of the upper is cut shorter on the end on the sole side than the lining material of the upper, so that an overhang of the lining material of the upper beyond the outer material of the upper is obtained. The overhang is bridged by a net band, the one longitudinal side of which is sewn to the end on the sole side of the outer material of the upper, but not to the lining material of the upper, and the other longitudinal side of which is sewn to the end on the sole side of the lining material of the upper but not to the outer material of the upper. The net band, preferably comprising monofilament fibers, interrupts a water bridge for water passing from the outer material of the upper that has become wet to the sole region. If the edge on the sole side of the outer material of the upper were to reach down to the edge on the sole side of the lining material of the upper, water creeping down the upper could reach the edge on the sole side of the functional layer and from there get into the inside of the lining, which could lead to the space inside the shoe becoming wet. This footwear is provided with a molded-on outsole, which has at the lower end of the upper such a molded-on height that it embeds the net band and the seam joining it to the outer material of the upper. The net band has such gauze pores that the outsole material, which is liquid when it is being molded on, can penetrate through the net band and force its way to the overhang of the lining material of the upper and thereby seal the part of the functional layer that is located in the region of the overhang. To maintain the breathability of this footwear, its functional layer is not only waterproof but also water-vapor-permeable.
This known construction has proven to be very successful for the production of footwear which is not only breathable but also extremely and reliably waterproof.
One of the problems with this solution is that the upper has a tendency to become folded and distorted in the region of the net band, in particular at those points at which the sole contour of the footwear has a narrow radius of curvature, such as in particular in the region of the toes and heel, which applies most particularly to children's shoes. If the net band extends with its transverse dimension approximately perpendicularly in relation to the outsole, folding occurs, because at most points of the periphery of the end region of the upper the lower end region of the upper does not rise up perpendicularly from the outsole but with an inclination, which applies in particular to the region of the toes of shoes with a soft outer material. If the net band is located in a region of the lower end region of the upper that is turned back parallel to the outsole, folding occurs on account of different degrees of curvature of the edges of the end region of the outer material and the end region of the lining material.